One Hot Date

It had been a while since Ben and I had gone and spent some quality time together, and we never know how much longer we will have live-in-babysitters, so we took the opportunity to go on a "hot" date this afternoon. Both figuratively and literally.

Figuratively because my husband is a major hottie and he accompanied me on this date. And literally because it was hotter than blazes outside. Isn't is September?

We contemplated the options. Steak Dinner? Ice cream and a movie? Stroll around the canal?

Nah, why not head to the Great State Fair!
And so we did. My brother gave us complimentary passes that he had been given and both of us hadn't been to the fair in years, so we thought - what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

The minute I stepped out of the car, all the memories came flooding back. It looked the same. It sounded the same. It definitely smelled the same. And I immediately felt panicky and claustrophobic.

Ahhh....just how I remembered it.

Like a couple of goofball that we are, we both forgot our sunglasses. And did I mention it was hot? So we immediately stopped at the sunglasses booth and purchased our $5 glasses. It was also at this point that I made a mental note to open a cheap sunglasses joint at the fair. These people were raking in the cash. You would have thought they were passing out golden nuggets.

Don't mock. They were $5 and we were desperate.

We made our way to the "I will never be able to afford in this lifetime" section of the fairgrounds. You know...the place that is filled with things like this....

And this....

Ben and I quickly formulated a plan. Go find the purchase, that if given the freedom, you would take home today at no cost.

Of course, I went practical...

And Ben shockingly did as well...

Until he changed his mind...

Yeah, ok honey. Keep dreaming.

We started to get hungry, so we headed outside to see what fine eatery they had around these parts.

I swear, there must be some kind of contest amongst the food vendors on who can create the most disgusting dish. This one definitely would have been in the running....

I love that there is a picture or a yogurt/fruit/granola parfait, an equal sign, and then the words "Chicken Parfait." I mean, when I see a yogurt parfait, my mind immediately thinks of chicken.

You mean yours doesn't?

And then this.

The donut burger is really what I want to focus in on here. My mind was intrigued, and I had to go check it out for myself. Was it just a burger on a bagel, or was it some sort of dessert meat? The answer is neither.

When asked, "what exactly is a 'donut burger'?" the man quickly replied "it's a burger on a donut." Well, thank you. That helps tremendously.

I found somebody who had actually ordered one and I peered over her shoulder. It is a regular hamburger with bacon, lettuce, cheese, and tomato - all piled high between two glazed donuts.

Are you salivating yet?

How about this one...

Don't adjust your screens.

Or this one...

I am not even sure how that is humanly possible.

Maybe this one will tickle your fancy...

And yes, that is a line you see. People must have been intrigued. I mean, seriously, where do they come up with this stuff?

After all that find array of choices, we finally settled on this.

A good ole' Indian Taco, Curly Fries, and a jug of root beer. Too bad the root beer went from freezing cold to lukewarm in 3 minutes flat.

It was H-O-T!

We scarfed it down.

After we ate, we did some walking and some window shopping. We needed some major exercise after the gorge-fest we just endured.

Have you been to the fair recently? Well, if you haven't let me save you the trouble. There are some strange-o things there - besides the food. I'll save you from the images of belly-exposing grandma's and spandex wearing dudes, and show you the stuff that won't make you lose your lunch.

While paroozing the building, I came across this ginormous stock pot. This picture does not do it justice. I mean, it is bigger than any three stock pots put together. I immediately wondered what you would cook in there and my mind went to Thanksgiving for the whole trailer park. Seriously, that is all you would need it for. Maybe I should ask the Pioneer Woman. She might know.

Oh, and the "Acupressure Experience." Yikes. Funny thing is, I was not the only one taking pictures.

And did I mention this? C'mon Now!

I wasn't sure whether to include this in the food or the strange objects.

And don't even get me started on this guy. I protected his face in case he is like your brother-in-law.

This Segway guys followed us around on his little contraption doing spins and pirouettes continually reminding us that for just $1700 this bad boy could be ours. I am sad to say that Ben accepted his business card. I will let you know if we become a proud new parent of a Segway in the near future.

We ended our day with an exhausting-ly long walk to the car. I swear our car was not that far away when we arrived. I imagine it was fate trying to get us to walk off some of those one million calories that we just consumed.

Especially since we took this to the car with us..

Seriously, what fair trip is complete without a cinnamon roll covered in ooey-gooey butter cream icing (that cost $1 extra).

Needless to say, I won't be eating for an entire week. Except I ate dinner only two hours after we had returned. It's all good though. I am nursing, right?

After we left the fair, I made Ben immediately drive to the closest gas station, and I quickly purchased the first antibacterial hand sanitizer that I could get my grimey hands on. I returned to the car and began slathering it all over my hands and feet. Open toed shoes = big mistake. Just sayin.

All in all, we had a fabulous time. I wondered the whole way there if we were making a big mistake by not bringing the kids. But high temperatures, large crowds, over-priced food, and a smoke haze hovering over the fair ground's 4 acres set my mind at ease.

Besides, every married couple needs to take time out for themselves and have a little fun. Next time, though, maybe we'll step up the prestige a little. You know, and hit up a Steak n' Shake.

We dream big.